What are two Valley fever symptoms?
Symptoms of Valley fever include:
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Cough.
- Fever.
- Shortness of breath.
- Headache.
- Night sweats.
- Muscle aches or joint pain.
- Rash on upper body or legs.
Is Valley Fever contagious among dogs?
Is Valley Fever contagious from animal to animal or animal to human? Valley Fever is considered a noncontagious disease. Even if multiple animals or humans are affected in a household, each infection was acquired by inhaling spores from the soil. Coughing cannot spread it between animals or people.
How do you test a dog for valley fever?
A Valley Fever test, Cocci test, or Cocci titer checks the blood to see if your dog is making antibodies against the Valley Fever fungus. If the test is positive, it means your dog has been infected with the fungus. If the Valley Fever test is positive, the laboratory then performs a titer.
Who is most likely to get Valley fever?
Valley fever can affect people of any age, but it’s most common in adults aged 60 and older. Certain groups of people may be at higher risk for developing the severe forms of Valley fever, such as: People who have weakened immune systems, for example, people who: Have HIV/AIDS.
Is there a preventative for valley fever in dogs?
Currently, there is no sure fire way to prevent Valley Fever in pets short of never residing in or traveling through the areas where the fungus grows. Valley Fever endemic areas are among the fastest growing regions in the country, which makes encounters of animals and people with the fungus a likely event.
How can you tell if your dog has Valley fever?
When the infection spreads outside the lungs, it causes disseminated disease. The most common symptom of disseminated disease in dogs is lameness; the fungus has a predilection for infecting bones of the legs in dogs. However, Valley Fever can occur in almost any bone or organ of dogs.
How long does it take to cure Valley fever in dogs?
At the present time, dogs that develop valley fever require lengthy treatment with antifungal medications. The duration of treatment will depend on the severity of infection. In many cases treatment will be required for 6-12 months.
What kind of animal can get Valley fever?
Valley fever tends to occur during certain seasons. What species can be infected with valley fever? This disease is common in humans, and has been isolated in dogs, cattle, horses, deer, elk, mules, llamas, apes, monkeys, kangaroos, wallabies, tigers, bears, badgers, otters, fish, and marine mammals.
Can a dog get Valley fever in Mexico?
Parts of Mexico and Central and South America are affected, too. People and dogs are most commonly diagnosed with Valley Fever, but most mammals (including cats) can be infected.
What are symptoms of Valley fever for dogs?
The most common warning signs of primary pulmonary Valley Fever in dogs are coughing, fever, weight loss, diminished appetite, and energy loss.
What are the stages of Valley fever?
Valley fever symptoms have up to three distinct stages, depending on the individual’s vulnerability to the disease. These are broken up into acute, chronic and disseminated stages, which could also be described as initial infection, continued infection, and infection spread beyond the lungs.
What is the prognosis for Valley fever?
Valley Fever is normally a very treatable disease with a positive prognosis in most cases. However, it is important to treat the clinical signs, which can include coughing, pain, and seizures with steroids and cough suppressants, and to administer antifungal medications to help prevent the disease from spreading.
Does Valley fever ever go away?
For many people, the symptoms of Valley fever will go away within a few months without any treatment. Healthcare providers choose to prescribe antifungal medication for some people to try to reduce the severity of symptoms or prevent the infection from getting worse.